Nelson told us another way to avoid wasting money is to live by the five-minute rule!

She said if it takes you five minutes or less to prepare an item rather than buying it pre-packaged, it’s worth the money to do the work, “Buy it in its most basic form, so in other words, buy the head of lettuce rather than buying bagged lettuce.”

Finally, she told us cash is king, “If you go into a store and you say, I have no dollars, cash, you will make choices.”

Some stores also offer special savings on their websites, so check from time to time to see when you can snag a deal.